2 Simple Meditation Techniques to Practice Daily

This is an article I copied from someone’s blog. This article is a great example of how meditation is taught.

Meditation is an ancient technique, and its main purpose was to gain insight into life, into nature, into how the world works through going withing and upwards.

It wasn’t practiced to get healthy, to get exercise, to calm down, to deal with stress. The mindset that you want something and use meditation to get it firmly anchors you in the horizontal plane, where your wants and your likes and dislikes live.

Real meditation is to get you to the vertical plane, where your wants, likes and dislikes are just noise. Where you don’t need anything, because you live in the domain of being, the domain of Human Being.

That doesn’t mean you don’t do, and that doesn’t mean you don’t like or dislike. It only means: you don’t live through those likes and dislikes: you live through being, experiencing the likes and dislikes. No emotional attachment.

This is what I teach, and this is what is possible: a glorious way to live. Now, here is the “borrowed article” you wanted to read. Enjoy.

While it may be next to impossible to find a quiet place for meditation, a constant sense of tranquility is essential to recharge and relax our minds. What follows are simple meditation techniques that you can perform at your own convenience.

Try these two simple meditation techniques that you can do on your own, without the help of a professional or expert.

1. Vipassana: The Art of Conscious Breathing.

Considered the easiest meditation technique, Vipassana simply requires you to be ‘aware of your breathing’. This meditation technique traces its root to Gautama Buddha who follows the philosophy referred to as the “Golden Mean”. He believes that going extreme is not necessary, be it in terms of fasting or in prayer. Vipassana is the perfect type of meditation for the modern man because it can be done anywhere, at any time.

Breathing is among the most natural process in our body that we can easily be aware of. It is also considered to be the sacred link between our body and our soul.

In Vipassana, the rule is simple: just be aware of your breathing process. Do not control it, but feel your breath as the air enters your body and exits. (Vipassana should not be confused with ‘Pranayam’, a breathing exercise taught in yoga which controls breath movements.)

In meditating using the technique of Vipassana, you should simply ‘watch your breath’. Although you can do this anywhere, it is highly advised that you set a specific time and place to undergo this meditation daily.

2. Mantra Meditation: A Process of Positive Reinforcement.

Feeding our minds with optimistic thoughts does eventually lead to positive results. Mantras are words or phrases that you chant, act as the focal point for the meditation. It has been used as early as the time before the popularity and rise of Buddhism. It is considered to be an ancient meditation technique and is also among the most popular because it transcends time, culture and race.

The practice of mantra meditation requires you to repeat a sentence or a set of words. It should have a phonetic significance, something that’s easy to remember.

Similar to Vipassana Meditation, meditating using a mantra can be done anywhere, but it is best done as soon as you wake up. Prepare a set of words that you’ll recite, (out loud or to yourself), the moment you open your eyes. Listen to the sound of each word and internalize.

A good and steady practice of meditation will help you to improve your sense of being. By simply allotting a couple of minutes in your day to meditate, you will experience greater peace and connection to your life’s purpose, and gradually uncover your full human potential.

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Yoga Teachers, Yoga practice, The Yoga Alliance

Yoga is fashionable, it is an exercise for most. But yoga used to be a serious spiritual practice.

How and why? Yoga can give you superior control over your attention, over your body. Once you have control over what you can have control over, the next step is to recognize that you are neither your body, nor your thoughts, history, emotions, you are outside of all that: you are the Watcher. And you will recognize that the Watcher doesn’t participate in all the hubbub of the life… the Watcher observes it.

And that was the purpose of yoga, that has been completely dropped out.

But because context is decisive, without that context, none of the yoga practitioners can attain to that higher level of living, the living of a human being. Sad… but not irreversible.

Registering with the Yoga Alliance has many advantages for the yoga professional and offers more credibility to those who teach yoga. Their global registry acknowledges your training and knowledge and your ability as a yoga teacher. Being a member will also help when applying for a job, as being a member of the Yoga Alliance instills confidence and respect in your students. As a member of the Alliance, you will have achieved certain recognized standards, and those students who know of the Alliance respect its work and will seek out members as teachers. By using their designated registry marks – RYT or E-RYT after your name on business correspondence, business cards and advertising, your membership will be instantly recognizable.

The Alliance offers many networking opportunities, as the founders realize that in order to spread the word about the benefits of yoga, their members need to be able to communicate with others on a business level. The Yoga Alliance is very aware that those who run their own studios or those who are independent yoga teachers can become cut off from the main stream. Through their networking opportunities, yoga professionals can learn about opportunities for further education and interact with others on a professional level.

As many aspects of yoga are acknowledged by some in the medical community to help with weight loss, stress, high blood pressure and other medical conditions, having the designated registry mark RYT or E-RYT after your name, means you are more likely to be recommended by another health professional.

If you have a website you use for advertising purposes, those searching for a yoga teacher or studio in their area will also be more attracted to those with bona fide qualifications. By offering a link through to the Yoga Alliance website, the searcher will be given an in depth look at what the Alliance sets out to do, and be given salient information about the many benefits of practicing yoga themselves. It is a good selling point for those who have an established business and for those wishing to build clientele for a new yoga studio.

Registration fees with the Yoga Alliance are low, compared to the many benefits they offer. Schools that offer yoga teacher training can apply under a number of different programs within the Yoga Alliance, as long as a number of criteria are met by the school. The Alliance offers four basic programs: Children’s yoga, pre-natal yoga which is becoming a very popular choice for new mothers, plus either 200-hour or 500-hour certification and can take up to 90 days once the application is received.

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Little Known Ways to Stop Procrastinating Homework

The most important thing to know about procrastination is that it’s an avoidance tactic.

We all have it, it is a matter of degrees. Successful people, successful students avoid what they have to do, in this case doing their homework, less of the time. But just know: every time the idea of doing comes up: the idea of avoidance comes up too. Continue reading “Little Known Ways to Stop Procrastinating Homework”

Trying To Connect to Source? Not Sure If You’re Connecting?

Trying To Connect? Not Sure If You Are Connecting? Some Answers For You…

Here are some questions and some answers to issues people are having:

In my conversations with some of the Pioneers, I muscletest if they connect and the muscletest often says “no.” Continue reading “Trying To Connect to Source? Not Sure If You’re Connecting?”

Motivation and Fear: The Importance of Both

What is motivation? It is the desire that moves… People say they are not motivated, but the truth is that every time you do something to fill a desire: sit down, watch tv, order a pizza… there is a motivation.

People like to say that they are not motivated, but what they are saying is that the action that is required of them has less power, less motive power than the fear accompanying it.

The truth is that every action that is taking you to an unknown, unpredictable area of life, future, is going to be accompanies with fear. Our reptilian brain makes sure of it.

Fear is our constant companion. As humans that got off the trees, were at the mercy of their fear to keep them alive. Every sort of danger was waiting them out there, and fear was a useful tool to keep them alive.

But, as you can see, humans used fear, instead of being paralyzed by them: they got out there and hunted, and gathered, and built shelters… and the ones that survived formed your ancestors.

The art is to consider fear and consider the danger, and then choose to move.

As long as fear is to be obeyed, for you, you are never going to amount to much, and you will live your life in quiet desperation, like billions of others.

I teach the art of looking, observing, considering and choosing. Look up my classes, my products, my coaching… because living a life of quiet desperation is a horrible excuse for a life.

Robert Kennedy once said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” This profound statement may seem simple, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. This statement hints at the reality that motivation and fear can be closely linked.

It is common to fear failure. As humans, we do not like to lose. We do not like to be wrong. We do not like to be embarrassed. We do not like to be rejected.

And yet, the most successful people throughout history failed many times en route to their greatest achievements. Michael Jordan didn’t make his high school basketball team at first. Thomas Edison failed thousands of items in his attempts to make some of his greatest inventions. Christopher Columbus was rejected several times in his attempts to get approval for a voyage across seas.

Great success often requires failure, for failure teaches you how to do things better. Failure makes you wiser. Failure makes you better equipped to take on greater challenges.

But you must meet failure with respect. You must appreciate all that it holds within it. All the power within failure can be yours if you can see it beyond the surface.

Yet most people do not appreciate failure. In fact, failure repels most. Further, the fear of failure keeps many people from even attempting things at which they might not initially succeed.

If you want great things in life, you have to be willing to fail. And you have to be willing to fail many times over. Failure is a part of life. It is what makes us better. It is what makes us stronger. It is what makes us wiser.

We often seek motivation to get over the fear of failure. Instead, we should be motivated to seek out failure and learn from it. We should not hide from failure, for it is one of the most valuable teaching tools in life.

If you want motivation to face your fear of failure, try something that you most likely will fail at. Then take a closer look at your failure and try again. It is likely that you will do better the second time. Even if you fail again, you will be closer to success because of your efforts. Now you will know two ways that don’t work and can find another way that might.

By not trying, you will never succeed. By making yourself willing to fail, you will open up many great doors that were previously closed to you.

Dare to fail. Expect to succeed.

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What Is the Difference Between Alcoholism and Addiction?

This is an article that I copied over to my blog… so I can talk about some of the differences between how main stream handles alcoholism and how I handle it.

In my work, alcohol is an avoidance strategy: the person with the drinking would rather feel positive emotions, than deal with what there is to deal with: life, thoughts, emotions, relationships, problems.

Moving away and doing something that distracts one from an unwished for situation, thought, or feeling is called: obeying an urge.

Unless a person is taught different ways to relate to thoughts, feelings, memories, emotions, they will just continue to avoid them. Even if they become sober, they will just replace the alcohol with other behavior or substances: nothing changed inside.

Simple behavior modification doesn’t do it. A whole inner change is required, a superior skill to control one’s attention, that can be developed with practice.

Most humans living today are addicts and avoiders, one way or another. TV, internet, facebook, reading, sex, work, exercise, politics, sports… you can use any activity to avoid what you don’t like… and people do it, while they languish, and stop growing.

Check out my programs, courses, coaching, audios… they work.

The distinction between alcoholism and addiction is a dying one. For decades alcoholism has been classified separately from addiction even though both have identical symptoms and treatment options. These differences can be seen in the development of huge groups dedicated to one substance or another such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. However the fact of the matter is that alcohol is simply a substance like any other. Because addiction is not classified according to the drugs the person uses, it’s only logical that alcohol be treated in a similar manner.

Many addiction professionals are beginning to classify alcoholism simply as addiction. This is because no distinctions can be made between how addiction forms, progresses and is treated and how alcoholism is formed, progresses and is treated. This is described below:

How Addiction Forms Versus How Alcoholism Forms

When a substance such as cocaine, marijuana, heroin or alcohol causes the reward and pleasure center of the brain to be stimulated, the brain creates a “log” of associations concerning the events that led up to the “reward” of using the substance. When these associations are solidified with continued use, neurological pathways are constructed in the brain that facilitates the entire process. These pathways become permanent over time, and because they were developed in response to a substance, they can cause powerful urges that will compel the person to use the substance again and again. This physiological process doesn’t care what the substance is- the result is the same whether you’re talking about alcohol or drugs.

Signs and Symptoms of Addiction versus Alcoholism

Whether your substance of choice is alcohol or any drug, the symptoms of addiction are the same. While the physical symptoms might vary according to the substance and severity of the problem, the behavioral symptoms are universal:

1.) Loss of control- this presents as an inability to remember how much or what type of substance was taken, when the last use was, what other substances are involved, where the substance is located, or by overdosing.

2.) Obsession- an addict’s life is centered on substance abuse. They think and talk about it constantly and always seem to be planning when to use next, how much to use, who to use with and so on.

3.) Continuation despite serious consequences- this is an important distinction and one that applies to all substances. Addiction is most noted as a disease of compulsion. People who are addicted do not stop using even when their lives are falling apart.

Treatment of Alcoholism versus Addiction

There is no difference whatsoever between treatment for alcoholism and treatment for addiction. Most rehab centers make no real distinction and patients are generally a mixed bag of alcoholics and drug addicts or both. Treatment includes detox (especially for dangerous substances such as benzodiazepines and alcohol) and residential inpatient or outpatient treatment. Therapies employed at most rehab centers apply to both alcoholism and addiction and include individual, group and family therapy.

Ultimately, alcohol is just another substance. If you’re suffering from addiction to any substance or know someone who is that needs help, you should know that you can pick up the phone right now and get the process started with a free, no-obligation professional consultation.

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Life Is Like a Bruce Lee Movie – winning first inside

Life Is Like a Bruce Lee Movie – Create Positive Outcomes and Adventure With Your Mind

The gist of this article is to go within. Within really means: go to the vertical, instead of staying and living on the horizontal plane with all the drama, all the conflicts, all the bumping into this and that. Continue reading “Life Is Like a Bruce Lee Movie – winning first inside”